Brachiacantha sicardi Leng

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2014, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XVI: systematic revision of Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (390), pp. 1-76 : 56-57

48. Brachiacantha sicardi Leng

Brachyacantha sicardi Leng, 1911: 295 ; Korschefsky 1931: 207; Blackwelder 1945: 449.

Description. Female holotype. Length 3.2 mm, width 2.4 mm; body elongate, oval. Color dark brown, nearly black except clypeal apex narrowly reddish brown; pronotum with anterolateral angle triangularly yellow, yellow area extend along lateral margin nearly to posterolateral angle; elytron with anterolateral angle narrowly yellow, long, irregular, median yellow macula extended from base nearly to apex, lateral margin with small, narrow, median spot ( Fig. 263 ); ventral surface with mouthparts reddish yellow, hypomeron, epipleuron, and legs yellow, abdominal ventrites dark reddish brown. Head punctures small, separated by less than a diameter, each puncture as large as 4 eye facets; pronotal punctures larger than on head, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by a diameter or less. Clypeus truncate apically, lateral angle weakly rounded, lateral margin obliquely angled to eye canthus, surface nearly glabrous, with few sparse, long setae at apical margin. Eye canthus elongate, about 6 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, abruptly rounded apically, dark brown. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, sides nearly straight, basal and anterior angles abruptly rounded, basal margin without bordering line. Epipleuron narrow, grooved, groove densely punctured, weakly emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibia with short, triangular tooth, narrow, sinuate between tooth and sponda; sponda shallow, small. Carinae on prosternal process slightly divergent apically, nearly parallel to base, joined before prosternal apex, lacking single carina extended to apex. Abdomen with postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to apical margin of ventrite, abruptly rounded in median 1/5, then angled forward at apex; ventrites 1–4 with sparse, long pubescence, punctures sparse medially becoming dense laterally; pubescence becoming dense on ventrites 5, 6. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, curved apically, base wide; bursal cap lacking arms, with slightly elongate, sinuate apical strut ( Fig. 264 ).

Male. Not known.

Variation. Not known.

Type locality. Sapucay, Paraguay.

Type depository. USNM.

Geographical distribution. Paraguay.

Specimens examined. l. Paraguay. The holotype. ( USNM).

Remarks. Brachiacantha sicardi is known only from the female holotype. Dorsal color is distinctive for this specimen, but is somewhat similar to B. eva , the holotype of which is only 2.9 mm long, and usually has a narrow vitta on the lateral margin in the basal 1/2.

Figures

Figures 259–265. 259. Brachiacantha bilineata. 259) Habitus. 260–262. Brachiacantha egae. 260) Habitus. 261) Protibia. 262) Female genitalia. 263–264. Brachiacantha sicardi. 263) Habitus. 264) Female genitalia. 265. Brachiacantha steiner. 265) Habitus.